The first of many beach photo posts

Madeline hard at work. She would fill the castle mold then give it to us to flip over.

Gigi, Daddy and Maddie playing in the sand.

All smiles!

Getting water for the castle with Daddy...I love this picture!

Madeline is having a baby brother!

Well found out yesterday that baby #2 is a little boy. I am so glad that I can now say "he" and not just baby!

Big Girl Potty!

On Sunday night Madeline went in the big girl potty for the 1st time! I dont think she really understood why we got so excited and why she got a cookie but its a step in the right direction! I cant believe how fast my little girl is growing up!

Yummy! I made homemade strawberry jam!

So, this is the finished product. For some reason the pictures are in reverse order. I am so proud of myself! I have been wanted to try my hand at canning for some while and went with something "easy" to start and it turned out great! It spreads well and best of all it's 100% organic!

All you had to do to seal the jars was ladle the hot jam in the jars, put on the top and ring and flip them upside down to cool completely. Once they cooled 100% you flip them over, press the top down and if it doesn't pop back up it's good for one whole year!

This is the jam "in process"...it was a GREAT recipe that to do everything only took about 1 hour. Plus there isn't any store bought pectin in it! I found out green apples have a high pectin content that contrasts strawberries lower content so all you do is grate a granny smith apple and you have plenty of pectin without using a chemically derived product! I can't wait to try something else...salsa maybe? (If my tomato plant will ever flower...)

Walmart just gained a few points with our family...

Most people know that I am not a huge Walmart fan but they have started to win me over a little. They just switched the Faded Glory clothing line (babies thru adult clothing) to organic cotton and recycled denim! While the dyes used to color the clothing are not natural this is a BIG step in the right direction! The way I look @ it...Walmart is one of the largest purchasers of many different things and if that is now the case with organically grown cotton that will increase the demand and decrease the cost. That's a win for the environment and our wallet. While I still feel that consignment "gently used" clothing is the most eco-friendly and I LOVE KD's Treehouse on Devine Street for a special occasion I can now say that if Madeline (or any of us for that matter) need some type of new clothing item I will actually think of Walmart now. Check them out! I didn't look at everything but the little girls clothing is very cute and very soft!